One Drunken Night
by MnM Roswellian
Summary: It starts as an innocent night of teenage rebellion but the night doesn't stay as innocent as it began.
1.

Title: Once upon a drunken night... (may be changed)  
  
"Michael! You've had enough! We're leaving or I'm leaving you." Maria stood in the noisy bar surrounded by thugs and crazy drunken hicks but for some reason Michael was more scared of her at that moment than any of them. He looked at her puppy dog eyes and knodded his head. Maria walked her intoxicated boyfriend to the car and then got in the driver's seat. She hadn't had anything to drink but as she slowly pulled out of the parking lot it was evident that the man driving a blue van obviously had been.   
"Holy shit! That guy almost hit me. Someone should inform him that driving while retarded is so uncool."  
- - - - - - - - -   
On the way home, Michael sat very quietly except that every few minutes he would change the radio station between classical and some type of religious sermon. Maria didn't feel like arguing so she let his strange behavior slide. As it started to rain Maria wished Michael had gotten beer the illegal alien way instead of talking her into driving him a couple cities away.   
- - - - - - - - -   
"Michael quit it! I'm trying to drive."   
The rain had begun to fall harder while Michael became more demanding. Maria pushed him away but he wouldn't let go.   
"Come on baby. The car practically drives itself... Let's makeout." Michael leaned over and grabbed his girlfriend in attempts to kiss her. Maria struggled to get away from his grip but the slippery rod forced them into the side ramp and off into the ditch. The cars behind theirs slammed on brakes and came to a violent stop. Maria pulled her head up from the steering wheel. She glanced over at Michael and saw that he was out cold and bleeding from the head. "Oh my God this can't be happening. Maria ripped a strip of her shirt off so she could try and stop some of the blood. As she leaned over to help him, the car began sliding down the hill. Maria screamed when she looked out the front window, a final roll and she blacked out.  
**  
  
**


	2. 

**The room was filled with machines and a steady beeping sound. The air wasn't quite right and the stillness gave them shivers down their spines.  
"Guys I think he's awake."  
Michael's vision focused slowly and he looked up at his friends. Isabel was curled up in a chair by the window while Max stared down at him. Tess came running in the room followed by Dr. Witter and a nurse. The nurse adjusted a few buttons and then proceeded to check Michael's blood pressure and other stats. The handsome blonde doctor was directed at Isabel until he was interrupted by Michael coughing.  
"Right, so Michael do you know where you are?"  
Michael glanced around the room. "Judging from all the blood hanging around I'd have to say Paris."  
"Ya, he'll be fine. We should probably keep him another night just to make sure."  
As his eyes focused more Michael realized there was something missing. "Where's Maria?" Michael knew from the looks in their eyes that it wasn't good. He felt a sharp pain in his head and pushed his palm against it to make it stop. He ran his fingers along the bandage and looked at the doctor questionably.  
"Michael you've suffered a huge hit to the head. You need rest."  
"Tell me where she is."  
The nurse began replacing one of his bandages. "You heard the doctor, you rest."  
Michael attempted to get out of bed but he was held back by the cords attached to his body. "Dammit where is she!?"   
Isabel sat next to him on the bed and explained that Maria was in a coma and they weren't sure when she would wake up. Michael's eyes began to tear up but he held them back.  
"I want to see her."  
The nurse became very pushy and demanding. "No, I'm afraid not son. I'm sure the doctor wouldn't recommend that ... right doctor?" Everyone in the room stood staring at Dr. Witter. For some reason he knew this was a group of people he shouldn't argue with. He gestured towards the door and then exited. The nurse became disgusted, tossed her hair over her shoulder and stormed out.  
"Max, help me up."**  



	3. 

**"Michael you're awake." Liz ran over and gave him a huge hug.  
"How's she doing?" Michael looked into Liz's eyes. They had become quite close in the past few months because of their relationships with Maria. He knew she could never lie to him.  
"Well... um she really hasn't... she's pretty much..." Liz couldn't seem to get the words out.  
"Liz? It's bad isn't it." Michael could tell from the look on her face that it was.   
Liz got behind Michael's wheelchair and pushed him down the hallway to the elevator. The others stayed back to give them some time alone.  
The elevator was empty and their silence added to the regular doom and gloom of a hospital.  
Finally the quietness got to Liz, "She's really out of it Michael. I mean she's woken up a little but mostly she just sleeps and mutters nonsense. She asked about you."  
Michael perked up at this but it was quickly ended as the elevator doors opened to the ICU. Liz pushed Michael over to the window in front of Maria's room. "You want me to come with you?" Michael nodded and she pushed him over beside the bed. Maria's face was all bruised and bloody. Of course there were some bandages but they couldn't hide everything. Michael leaned over and kissed her forehead. He couldn't contain it any longer, tears ran down his face and landed on Maria's arm which had also been wrapped.  
"If I ever find out what jerk did this to her I'll kill him." His head was throbbing, he rubbed it but this wasn't some minor headache. Michael began to get very dizzy, he knew something was very wrong.  
"Liz? How did the accident happen?"**


	4. 

**"Well Michael um..." but Liz had been interupted by a weak voice.  
"Michael?" Maria had woken up. She was struggling to lift her head.  
"Just relax, I'm here." Michael stroked her head. Maria could barely open her eyes but she knew Michael was there. "So Liz?"  
"Oh ya well it can wait."  
"No Liz it can't."   
"We should probably go outside." Liz stood to wheel Michael out but he grabbed her arm.  
"Liz just tell me." Michael became inpatient.  
"You."  
A freezing cold feeling of pain surged through Michael's insides. "Me, but how?"  
Liz sat down and gripped the chair arms. "It was raining, Maria was driving and um Michael you were drunk."  
"But I wasn't driving that makes no sense."  
"I know we don't really know what happened after that but we just assumed that you distracted her.  
Michael was pissed. "You just assumed I was the cause. Come on you just said it was raining, that sounds like an explaination to me."  
Liz didn't know what to say. She knew that Isabel had gone into Maria's dream and seen the whole thing but she couldn't tell him that.  
Michael watched Maria for a few minutes and saw her pain as she breathed. Could it have been his fault? He couldn't stay there any longer. "I have to get out of here."  
Liz stood to help him but he pushed her away.  
"I don't need your help!!" He put his hands on the wheelchair and slowly made his way to the hallway.   
He was so tired and dizzy. The sounds of Maria screaming filled his head. He leaned over and vomited. Suddenly it was like he couldn't breathe, he had done this to Maria. He couldn't stand it anymore the pain was so strong. **


	5. 

"So Gus what are the chances of you letting me miss the next meeting?" Michael was talking to Gus, a middle-aged bald man, in the basement of the Roswell YMCA.  
"Michael you know the deal, missing a meeting is grounds for me to call your parol officer."  
"I know man but my girlfriends getting out of rehab tomorrow and you know the deal. I kind of need to be there."  
Gus stood there a minute thinking. He was about to say no but he caved.  
"All right this one time..."  
"Thanks Gus I owe you." Michael started to walk away.  
"... but you have to do 5 extra hours."  
Michael groaned. There was nothing he hated more than charity work. No one had ever given him charity when he needed it.  
  
He walked up the steps and out into the extremely cold weather that had suddenly taken over the city of Roswell, New Mexico. There hadn't been a colder year since 1972 but Michael somehow liked it. The holidays meant more people on the streets and he liked their presence, even if most of them annoyed him to death. He'd spent a lot of time alone in the past few months.  
  
Although Maria had forgiven him the police hadn't. Since no one pressed charges the police gave him a deal. As long as he went to AA and did community service he'd get off without prison time. This was all right with Michael except that AA was horrible. It wasn't even the real Alcoholics Anonymous instead they called it Alcohol Abusers. In his opinion it was a Richard Simmons meets Dr. Laura club where he was the only guy who didn't have a boyfriend in prison named Joe.   
  
When he wasn't at an AA meeting or cleaning up garbage on the highway he was with Maria at the rehab center. After she had woken up she had a long way to recovery. Luckily she had no permanent damage but her body was so weak. Michael thought back at the day they had talked about the accident...  
  
"Maria I need to tell you something."  
"It's all right Michael, I already know." Maria looked deeply into Michael's eyes letting him know everything would work out.   
  
Part of him knew it would never really be the same. He had hurt her in a way that he could never take back. He had been haunted with dreams of that one night that had changed everything. Not only did he never want to drink again but he had sworn to her that he would do everything in his power to protect her.  
  
  
[I have no idea where to go from here. If someone has an idea or wants to finish it I would be really grateful] 


End file.
